The United Nations is working with countries to resume the ​evacuation of hundreds of ships and thousands of stranded ⁠seafarers from the Strait of Hormuz after the effort was halted earlier this week, a top UN agency official said on Friday (June 26, 2026).

The UN’s International Maritime ‌Organization said on Thursday (June 25, 2026) it had “temporarily paused” its evacuation initiative after a container ship operated by Taiwan’s Evergreen was attacked.

Some ‌115 vessels and around 2,500 seafarers were able to sail through ‌the ⁠strait before evacuations were paused, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez ⁠told a virtual news conference.

Mr. Dominguez said he was working “vigilantly” with several parties and was having conversations with countries — particularly Oman, the United States, and Iran — “in order to find these ​guarantees that were provided at ‌the beginning, that vessels will not be targeted”.

“As soon as I get further confirmations of that, we’re ready to re-initiate the process of evacuation,” he said, though he added he could not ‌provide a timeframe for a resumption.

Evacuations will take weeks to complete, IMO Chief says

Tehran on Friday (June 26, 2026) reasserted its right to control shipping in the critical waterway and ⁠warned its Gulf neighbours against siding with Washington.

Mr. Dominguez said his main point of contact in Iran was with its maritime authority and foreign ‌ministry.

“I need to actually maintain the positive approach that progress is being made in the whole conflict and at least vessels are also safely sailing through,” he said.

He added that the IMO was investigating “the reasons and motivation” for the ship attack.

The evacuation plan provided two channels for sailing out through the strait, either via Iranian ‌waters in the north or Omani waters in the south.

The so-called Traffic Separation ​Scheme, adopted by the IMO in 1968, established routing lanes through Iranian and Omani waters in the strait. This central ⁠section, however, is currently not usable due to the presence of what ⁠Dominguez estimated were around 80 explosive mines.

“It will take a few weeks before we can evacuate the still just over ‌500 vessels that need to be evacuated,” he said.

“The quicker we can resume operations, of course, the quicker we can ​start increasing the numbers until we get that evacuation completed.”

Oman said it would keep the Strait ⁠of Hormuz open to shipping without imposing any tolls and had designated two temporary routes north and south of the existing shipping lane to facilitate the safe passage of vessels departing the region.

In ‌coordination with the International Maritime Organization, Oman established temporary maritime corridors to help ships leave the area safely amid heightened security risks. The Strait ‌of Hormuz, a vital route for roughly a fifth of global oil and ‌liquefied ⁠natural gas supplies before the war, has been heavily disrupted since ⁠the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, curbing commercial shipping and rattling global energy markets.

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In a notice to mariners, Oman said the existing Traffic Separation Scheme in the strategic ​waterway was currently unsafe for use and ‌that vessels departing through the strait could instead use temporary routes located to the north and south of the existing shipping lanes.

The scheme, adopted by the United Nations’ shipping agency in 1968, established routing lanes through Iranian and Omani ‌waters in the strait. The Gulf Arab state said the measures reflected its responsibilities ​towards the strait, its importance to the global economy and its commitment to international law and freedom of navigation, citing understandings reached between ⁠the United States and Iran.

Oman said navigational safety remained the overriding priority and that a gradual, controlled movement of vessel traffic was required because of an elevated risk of collisions. Under ‌a phased plan developed by the IMO in coordination with Omani authorities, vessels will be grouped and contacted individually with instructions on when they may depart and which route they should follow.

Ships will be directed to a designated waiting area in international waters before being cleared to proceed. Vessels using Oman’s eastbound route will be required to maintain communications with coastal authorities and comply with all navigational instructions.

Oman said shipowners and ‌masters remained responsible for conducting independent risk assessments before voyages. Vessels were instructed to keep their Automatic ​Identification System activated during transit and to report any navigational hazards to the Oman Maritime Security Centre.

Oman’s statement said that no tolls would be ⁠imposed on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, in line with the outcome of recent ⁠talks between the United States and Iran.

Iran and Oman began discussions on the future administration of navigation and maritime services in the waterway on ‌Tuesday (June 23, 2026).

While the interim U.S.-Iran agreement provides for commercial vessels to transit without charge for 60 days, the talks are expected to address longer-term arrangements, including any costs ​associated with maritime services after that period ends.

International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Mr. Arsenio Dominguez has called on States to uphold the principle of freedom of navigation and reject any imposition of tolls, fees or discriminatory transit measures for passage through straits used for international navigation.

Addressing the UN Security Council on the topic of ‘The safety and protection of waterways in the maritime domain, he emphasised: “The principle of freedom of navigation is not negotiable. Ships must be allowed to trade worldwide unhindered and in accordance with international law.”